


Bethrothed

by JJ_Smith



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Everybody Lives, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-04
Updated: 2015-06-19
Packaged: 2018-04-02 20:43:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4073257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JJ_Smith/pseuds/JJ_Smith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Stiles reads a letter from his dead mother, he finds out some rather unfortunate news. AKA the one where Stiles has to marry Derek because of his mother.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Letter

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, another multi chapter story. I promise I'll try to finish this one! I just love the arranged marriage trope, so I couldn't help myself.

_My dearest Grzegorz,_

_With every passing day it’s becoming more and more clear that I will never see you grow up. The thought pains me. I’ll never see the man you’ll become. I won’t be able to dry your tears for much longer, and I’ll no doubt be the cause of many tears to come._

_I am so sorry that I’m not there for you today, on the day you become a man in the eyes of the law. Please know that I am proud of you, no matter what kind of man you’ve grown into. You are my love, my light in the darkness._

_You are eighteen now, and that means your life will be changing soon. I regret that I didn’t tell you about this before, but you are to marry soon._

_When I was your age I got in trouble, big trouble. I was saved by someone, and to repay her, I had to promise the hand of my first child in marriage. At the time I didn’t intend to have children, so it didn’t seem like a big deal. Then you came along._

_I am sorry that you don’t have a choice in it. Besides leaving you, this is my greatest regret._

_I hope you remember the stories I told you, of magic and men who change into wolves. They’re all true, my dear Grzegorz. The woman that saved my life is Talia Hale, a werewolf like in the stories. She lives in town, or at least she does as I write this. She will be contacting you soon, no doubt. She does not strike me as a woman who forgets a deal like this._

_Once again, I am so sorry. I never wanted a life like this for my child._

_With love,_

_Mom_

 

“Shit,” Stiles curses. “Shit, shit, shit.”

Scott raises an eyebrow. “Okay, that’s not the reaction I’d expect from someone who just read a letter from his dead mom. What the hell’s in there?”

Stiles holds out the letter to Scott. “I’m pretty sure this means I’m engaged to Derek. Or Cora. I don’t know which is better.”

“No way.” Scott snatches the letter from Stiles and reads it quickly. “Maybe it’s no longer valid since Talia’s dead,” Scott suggests.

“Yes!” Stiles shouts. “That could totally work! Oh, you are a genius!”

“Don’t get your hopes up too high. I’m not sure how this werewolf engagement thing works. You should ask Derek.”

Stiles groans. The last thing he wants is to talk to Derek about this. “Maybe he doesn’t know,” Stiles says. “So, if I never tell him, it can’t even happen.”

“So, you’re just going to ignore it?” Scott asks.

Stiles nods. He takes the letter back from Scott and hides it deep in his underwear drawer. “No one has to know, understood? Not a word to Derek or anyone else. This is not going to happen.”

“I swear,” Scott says. “Not a single word.”

“Good. Now, please tell me you have something fun planned for my birthday, because I’m ready to forget about this.”

Of course it’s just Stiles’ luck that he can’t forget about his mother’s letter for long. The day is pleasant. He gets presents and there’s a cake and plenty of food. The whole pack is at his house, and when someone brings in beer late at night, his dad turns a blind eye. Everything is absolutely perfect, until Derek takes him aside a little before midnight.

Stiles is already dreading what this is about, and his worries are confirmed quickly.

“Stiles, I don’t know if you know this, but our mothers met each other once,” Derek begins.

Stiles lets out a groan and hangs his head low. “You know… Why did you have to know? Can’t we just ignore this whole thing? It’s not like you want to be married to me.”

Derek sighs. “It’s not that simple, Stiles. This isn’t an ordinary promise. You can’t break a betrothal like this. Since I’m the oldest living child of Talia Hale…”

“I have to marry you,” Stiles says.

“Yes.”

“What happens if I don’t marry you?” Stiles asks.

“We’ll be cursed, and that’s never pretty. Especially knowing my mother,” Derek answers.

“Best birthday ever,” Stiles says, groaning again.

“Hey, it’s not like I’m enjoying this,” Derek says. “We’re in this together, okay? And we can make this as hard or as easy as we want.”

“My dad’s going to have a heart attack when he finds out,” Stiles mutters.

“Oh, come on, it’s just a marriage. Nothing says we have to love each other. You can have the guest bedroom and we’ll make the best of it,” Derek says calmly.

“I have to move in with you?!” Stiles shouts.

Derek rolls his eyes. He’s being infuriatingly calm. Stiles supposes it’s a lot easier to be calm if you’ve known about everything for a while.

“How long have you known?” Stiles asks.

“Mom told me when I was fifteen,” Derek answers. “She told me and Laura then. You were supposed to marry her, but since she’s dead…”

Stiles nods. He’s not sure what to say. He can hear the hurt in Derek’s voice when he mentions Laura. He wants to protest more, but he can’t do it when Derek sounds like that.

“You’d better not complain when I invite Scott over for video games,” he says, crossing his arms defiantly.

Derek smiles softly. “I can live with that.”

“Okay… how long do we have to get married?” he asks.

“A month. That’s why I brought it up today, to give you some time to adjust in case you didn’t know yet,” Derek explains.

“I found out this morning. Dad gave me a letter mom wrote before she died…” And now Stiles sounds the same as Derek did when he mentioned Laura.

“I know it sucks,” Derek says. “And I am fully prepared for you to complain about me to Scott all the time.”

“I’ll tell him about all your bad habits,” Stiles threatens, shaking off the sadness. There’s no use to him being an ass about this today, it won’t make any difference. “And if you’re mean, I’m telling him about it as well and he’ll go all alpha on your ass.”

Derek nods. “I won’t hurt you. I know I’m a lot stronger, but I’ll never use that against you.”

“Woah, big guy, I didn’t mean like that. I know you’re like a big softie inside. I meant like when you drink the last of the milk or something,” Stiles says.

“Oh,” Derek says, looking surprised. “You really don’t mind I’m a wolf?”

Stiles shrugs. “I dated Malia, remember? She’s as strong as you and she was less in control.”

“But… I thought you guys cared about stuff like that. Every human who’s known has been afraid of my strength and stuff,” Derek says.

Stiles won’t admit it, but his heart breaks a little when he hears that. Derek definitely deserves a break in his eyes.

“I don’t care, I trust you,” he says sternly. “Remember that.”

Derek nods, but Stiles isn’t entirely convinced that Derek believes him. It’s not disastrous that Derek doesn’t believe him yet, though, Stiles has the rest of his life to convince Derek he’s not scared. Though, the thought of being married to Derek for the rest of his life scares him more than Derek ever could. He doesn’t want to dwell on his fears, he’ll have time enough for that.

“I’m going to go back in there and get spectacularly drunk instead of just tipsy,” he tells Derek.

“That sounds like the best idea I’ve heard all day,” Derek says.

 

 


	2. Take a Breath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to update this every Thursday, but I suck at sticking to deadlines so... don't get your hopes up too high. Thank you all for all the lovely comments and the kudos! I've been writing for rarepairs for a while now and the love I've been getting for this has been a little overwhelming.

Everything changes after that. Scott and Stiles spend most of their time trying to find a way out of the marriage. Derek tells them that it’s no use; he’s tried for years. Three weeks later, they begrudgingly have to admit that Derek is right. What’s worse is that Stiles now only has three days left before the wedding to break the news to his father.

“Can you tell him?” he asks Derek. They talk to each other every other day now, usually on the phone. Derek always catches Stiles up on the preparations for the wedding, while Stiles complains about not having found a way out yet.

“I assume the him you’re talking about refers to your father, so no.” Derek quickly goes back to explaining the ritual to Stiles.

“Hey, hold on a second, you’re going to be my husband. It’s your job to protect me,” Stiles argues.

“Wow, that’s the first time you’ve acknowledged our impending marriage. Does this mean you’ve finally accepted what I’ve been telling you for weeks?” Derek asks.

“Yes, you were right. Fine, whatever. Now, go tell my dad you’re taking me away from him because of our mothers.”

“Isn’t that a bit dramatic? I’m not taking you from him. You can visit him as often as you want,” Derek says.

“But I won’t live here anymore,” Stiles says. “I have to live with you. He’s so going to think we’ll have sex all the time. He’s going to think you’re ruining his precious little boy.”

Derek sighs. “Of all the people my mom could have gotten me engaged to, it had to be you. Listen, tell your dad, and show up at the old Hale house on Friday, one o’clock. We’ll get married and the pack’ll help you move your stuff into the house that weekend.”

“Wait, the Hale house? Are we moving in there?” Stiles asks, confused. Last he knows is that Derek sold it.

“You really don’t listen to me, do you? I bought it back when you complained about the loft. I told you about it last week.”

“Oh… um… thanks, I guess. You didn’t have to do that for me…” Stiles can’t help but feel a little flustered that Derek would do something like that for him.

“You’re going to be my husband, which means I’m going to be stuck with you for a long time. I’ll only make things easier for myself if you like our house,” Derek answers casually.

“And you’re okay with moving back there?”

“If I wasn’t, I would have bought a different house. Don’t worry about me, okay? Worry about telling your dad.”

Stiles lets out a long groan. “Why does my life suck this much?”

“Because my life sucks more,” Derek says.

Stiles opens his mouth to argue, but he doesn’t really have a defense. Derek’s life has certainly been worse than Stiles’. Whereas Stiles has only lost his mother, Derek has lost almost his entire family. Relationship wise his life has also been better than Derek’s. He’s only been in one relationship, but that ended pretty well. He’s still friends with Malia and he even helped her get with Lydia. As far as he’s aware, Derek’s relationships have all ended badly. Mostly in death, actually.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it sound like a competition,” Derek says when Stiles stays silent for a while. “I just meant… You’re not in this alone and we have to make this work together.”

Stiles sighs. He’s fully aware of that, but he’s not one for settling for something without protest. “Just talk to me about this wedding. Is there any weird werewolf shit I should prepare for?”

Derek groans. “Have you not been listening to me at all?” he asks. “I’ve explained this at least three times already.”

“Then I’m sure once more won’t hurt you,” Stiles says.

“And I’m sure waiting till Friday won’t hurt you. Go tell your dad and at least start to pack your stuff. Bye, Stiles.” Derek doesn’t wait for a reply and breaks the connection.

“That’s no way to treat your future husband,” Stiles says to his phone. Though, if he’s honest with himself, he understands why Derek’s treating him like this. He should have been listening. If he had, he’d know about the ceremony and he’d also have know about his move to the Hale house sooner.

He doesn’t have much time to dwell on that, however. He has to tell his dad before he leaves for work.

His father’s downstairs, and the second Stiles steps into the room, the man seems to notice something’s wrong. He doesn’t say anything, but he gives Stiles a look that Stiles knows means that if he doesn’t speak up, he’s in deep trouble.

“I have to marry Derek on Friday,” Stiles blurts out. As expected, his father looks like he’s having an aneurysm.

“Please tell me this is some kind of joke.”

“I wish it was. Derek’s mom once saved mom’s live and mom had to promise the hand of her firstborn in marriage to the Hales. So… “ Stiles shrugs, trying to sound casual and not like he’s about to freak out.

“And that’s it? There’s no way out of this? They’re both dead, so maybe it no longer counts,” the Sheriff suggests.

Stiles shakes his head. “Scott and I have been trying to find a way out for weeks, Derek has been trying for longer.”

“What happens if you don’t do it?” he asks.

“Terrible things, if you belief Derek. He’s pretty vague about it, but he sounds pretty scared about it, so I’m not risking it,” Stiles answers.

“But…”

“Dad, please. I’m not looking forward to this, but I have to do this. Can you please try to not make things even harder?”

The Sheriff sighs. “Do you promise me that what you’re telling me is true and that this isn’t some sort of plot to get married young with my approval?”

If Stiles had been drinking something, he was sure he would have spit it out. “Oh, my god! If I were to do that, I certainly wouldn’t do that with Derek Hale! Come on, Dad!”

“Hey, I’m just saying, I’ve seen the way you look at him,” his dad says, holding his hands up in defense.

“What? I… oh, my god… I cannot believe you’d turn against your own son like this! I do not lust after Derek Hale’s ass or whatever it is you’re thinking,” Stiles says. Sure, Derek’s pretty hot, but he’s not allowing himself to admit that out loud to anyone.

The Sheriff shoots him a look that makes it clear he doesn’t believe a word Stiles is saying. “You’ll need a suit, I assume.”

Stiles hadn’t even considered that. He really should have paid attention to what Derek was saying. “Um… I guess so.”

“We’ll find one tomorrow, after school. Is Scott going to be your best man?”

It’s another question that Stiles hadn’t really considered, but he can’t imagine asking anyone else. “Yeah, sure.”

“You should invite him along with us. Is there anything you need?” the Sheriff asks.

“I… don’t really know,” Stiles answers. He hadn’t listened to Derek at all and it was coming to bite him in the ass now. “Derek said to just be there on Friday… Oh! I need boxes to pack my stuff.”

The Sheriff’s face crumbles. Stiles realizes that all of his father’s questions were his way of dealing with this, he recognizes that in himself.

“I… um… I’ll come to bother you a lot, okay? And it’s not like I’m going to enjoy living with the eternal grump…” he says, hoping to make his dad feel slightly better.

“It’s fine, Stiles. It hadn’t occurred to me yet that this meant you would move out this soon,” the Sheriff says, even though he doesn’t sound fine at all.

Stiles isn’t holding up much better himself. “Hey, at least this means you can bring home ladies without worrying about me,” he jokes.

The Sheriff laughs. “I’m going to miss you, kid.”

Stiles nods, forcing back his tears. He’s not going to cry over this. If he cries now, his dad will cry and they’ll never stop. “You’re not getting rid of me this easily, dad,” he says. “I’m still going to be in town.”

“I know, but you’re…” he sighs. “You’re going to be a husband, and it’s going to be different.”

Stiles shudders at the word husband. He’s not ready to be someone’s husband, especially not Derek’s. He’d rock at being Scott’s husband. They’re practically already married, in the best friend way anyway. But Derek… Stiles doesn’t even know him all that well.

His dad leaves soon after that for work, leaving Stiles all alone with his thoughts, which can never be any good. Sure enough, it takes him less than half an hour to build himself up to a panic attack over his upcoming wedding. He dials Derek’s number with shaking fingers, hoping to get some comfort from him.

“What do you want?” Derek asks, sounding annoyed.

Stiles tries to explain what’s wrong, but he can’t even get a single word out. It’s getting hard to breathe now as well.

Derek must hear him, because he sounds a lot more calm when he speaks again. “Are you at home? Do you want me to come?” he asks. He gives Stiles a moment to answer, but when there’s none he makes the decision for Stiles. “I’m coming to you. I’ll go to your house first, otherwise I’ll try to find you. It’s going to be okay, I promise.”

Derek hangs up, and Stiles is left on the couch, gasping for breath. He has no idea how much time passes, but suddenly Derek’s crouching in front of him, trying to make eye contact.

“It’s going to be alright,” Derek says. “Are you worried for the wedding?”

Stiles nods, still unable to really speak.

“There’s nothing to be worried about. It’s going to be a simple ceremony. I asked an old family friend to officiate, and it’s just going to be the pack, your dad and some friends of mine,” Derek explains, talking calmly. It’s already helping Stiles calm down a little. “We’ll promise each other our love and support. There’s a handfasting. That’s where they bind our hands together while we make our promises to each other. That’s not too scary, is it?”

Stiles shakes his head. “N-no,” he says softly.

“And afterwards we’ll have a big dinner together. I’ll be cooking all day for it.” Derek smiles softly. “I missed cooking for big groups.”

Seeing Derek so happy is enough to shock Stiles out of his panic attack. “You know how to cook?” he asks.

Derek nods. “My dad taught me. He was amazing, and we always had big family dinners with most of the pack coming over.”

“So we could do that after… you know? Invite the pack over and you’ll cook?” Getting married sounds a lot less scary if he can invite others over to his new house.

“Of course,” Derek assures him. “It won’t always be just you and me.”

Stiles relaxes at those words. “So we could just be like friends who live together?”

Derek nods. “We’ll only be husbands in the eyes of the law. Is that what scared you?”

“Yeah… among other things…”

“Moving out?” Derek asks.

Stiles nods.

“Being an adult?”

Stiles nods again.

“I get it, being an adult is scary. Luckily you have a more experienced adult to help you out,” Derek says. “I promise you’ll be fine.”

“I don’t want to be a husband. I want to just be Stiles,” Stiles says.

“Then be just Stiles. You can continue to be just Stiles, only in a bigger house with a bigger TV to play video games on.”

It’s silly that it’s the last thing that gets Stiles’ attention, but it does. He’s never been afraid to admit that he’s a nerd. “You have a big TV? I didn’t know you even knew what a TV is.”

Derek raises an eyebrow and glared at Stiles. “I’m going to let that one slide because you just got out of a panic attack. Next time you won’t be so lucky. But, yes, I know what a TV is and I have one. I even have a Playstation 4.”

“Scott and I are going to use that all the time, just saying. You have no say in the matter,” Stiles says.

“I would have expected nothing else.” Derek stands up from his crouching position and holds out his hand for Stiles to take. “Need a hand helping you pack? I could take some of your stuff with me already.”

Stiles hesitates for a moment before taking Derek’s hand. “If you break anything, you buy me a new one.”

“Deal.”

“Okay, could you please break my phone? I could really use a new one and I can’t afford it myself,” Stiles jokes.

Derek rolls his eyes. “You really think you’re funny, don’t you?” 

“No. I don’t think, I know I’m hilarious,” Stiles says, sticking his tongue out at Derek before he hurries towards his room to start packing.

 

 


	3. Getting to know him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a day late, sorry guys! I've been playing a lot of Minecraft lately instead of writing. I'll try to update on time next week. Next week: The wedding!

The day before the wedding, Stiles wakes up with a brand new iPhone on his nightstand. He’s confused for a moment before he remembers the joke he made to Derek the other night. He hadn’t expected Derek to take him seriously.

The first thing he does after that realization is call Derek.

“You bought me a new iPhone?!” he yells after Derek answers the phone.

“Yes,” Derek answers, like it’s the most normal thing in the world.

“Dude, why?”

“You needed a new phone, so I got you one. It’s no big deal, Stiles. I got the rest of the pack phones as well, I got a good deal on them,” Derek explains.

“You… for everyone? Shit, how much money do you have?”

“Enough,” Derek answers.

“Half of it is going to be mine, I should know how much I’m getting,” Stiles says.

“All of it is mine, Stiles,” Derek says sternly. “But I will share it with you, once we’re married.”

“I’d call you mean, but you did just buy me an iPhone, so I guess you’re alright.”

“Just don’t crack the screen,” Derek warns. “Is there anything else you need? I’m busy preparing for tomorrow.”

“Oh, should I be helping?” Stiles asks.

“Only if you want to. I’ll mostly be baking today. I’ll get up early tomorrow to cook the rest of the feast.”

“I’ll have you know I’m a very good pie taster. Some would say I’m the best, actually,” Stiles says.

“You can come, but you can only eat things I tell you are okay to eat. I don’t want to run out of anything because you couldn’t wait a day,” Derek says sternly.

“I can live with that. I’ll be there soon.”

Halfway there, it occurs to Stiles that he’s on his way to the house he’s going to be living in starting from tomorrow. He can feel the panic rising inside him and he only just manages to shake it off. When he sees the house for the first time he curses, this was not what he was expecting at all. It’s completely transformed from the burned down ruins he knew. It actually looks like a nice place to live.

The house is painted white with blue shutters. There’s a wooden bench on the porch. It pains Stiles how easily he can see him and Derek sitting there in the summer, enjoying the weather. There might also be a kid or two in that fantasy, but he pushes that far away to the back of his mind. This marriage is a necessary evil, he’s not going to believe it’ll ever be more than that.

He can’t spend any more time in the car, wondering what his future’s going to look like, because Derek’s walking out of the house to greet him. Stiles gets out a little reluctantly to meet his very-soon-to-be husband.

“I was just checking to see if you hadn’t had another panic attack,” Derek says.

It doesn’t sound mocking or anything, it actually sounds like Derek cares, but Stiles doesn’t like it. “I’m not some frail thing that needs your protection,” he says.

“Fine, forget I asked,” Derek says, turning around to go back to the kitchen.

Stiles only feels a little guilty about snapping at Derek. He quickly follows Derek inside. He doesn’t let himself look at the interior of the house too much, he knows he really will have that panic attack if he does. It’s all becoming too real for him.

“Sit at the bar and behave,” Derek says. His voice sounds stern, but Stiles notices a little smile on his lips.

“Aw, I had the best plans to start a food fight,” Stiles says with a pout.

“Only if you can explain to Malia why I didn’t finish the shepherd’s pie she loves,” Derek replies.

Stiles sighs. “Fine. Be boring and responsible,” he says.

“I’d rather call it; be smart and keep Malia happy because she can be scary,” Derek says. He gets a cupcake out of the fridge and puts it down in front of Stiles. “This should keep you busy for a couple of minutes.”

Stiles’ eyes grow wide as he takes in the sight of the cupcake. It’s perfect. Stiles can’t remember ever seeing a more perfect cupcake in his life. “Holy shit, dude, did you make this?!” he asks.

Derek shrugs. “Yeah.”

“Seriously?! This looks like it was bought in a store. How did you get it so perfect?” Stiles asks, thoroughly amazed by Derek’s skill.

“I’ve made thousands of them when I worked in a bakery,” Derek answers while he’s working on the shepherd’s pie.

“You worked in a bakery? When? How could I not know this about you?” Stiles fires off questions rapidly, his fingers plucking at the paper around the cupcake in front of him.

“Yes; when I lived in New York; because you never asked,” Derek answers. “Are you going to eat that, or are you going to ask more questions because the whole point of giving you the cupcake was to shut you up.”

“I’m a delight to be around and you should never want to shut me up,” Stiles says.

“Fine, talk, but then I’m taking back the cupcake,” Derek replies.

Stiles grabs the cupcake and holds it close to his chest. He’s not going to just give up his perfect cupcake, no way. “Don’t you dare,” he says.

Derek simply lifts an eyebrow before focusing on the half-finished pie before him.

Stiles peels off the paper cup and takes a bite out of the cupcake. “Oh, my god. This is amazing!” he says, his mouth still full of food.

“Swallow before you talk,” Derek says.

“Dude! You’re like a God.” Stiles completely ignores Derek’s words and takes another bite. “I could eat like a dozen of these.”

Derek snorts. “I’m not going to clean up your puke when you do, just so we’re clear on that.”

“I can totally eat a dozen cupcakes without throwing up!” Stiles declares.

“As much fun as it would be to watch you fail, I’m not going to let you eat a dozen cupcakes. I need them for tomorrow.”

Stiles pouts and takes another bite out of his cupcake. “You won’t let me have any fun.”

“I’m a horrible killjoy, I know,” Derek says, a mocking tone to his voice. “Mean Derek who won’t let you eat until you’re nauseous.”

Stiles nods. “Yes.”

“If there are a dozen cupcakes left tomorrow, you can eat them all, okay?” Derek suggests.

“Okay, I can live with that. And then I won’t throw up and prove that I’m king of the cupcakes!” Stiles declares.

Derek shakes his head and looks up. “Why did you set me up with him?” he mutters.

Stiles balls up the paper and throws it at Derek’s head. “Because I’m awesome, that’s why,” he says.

Derek rolls his eyes, but doesn’t respond.

Stiles manages to stay silent for a full three minutes. “So… you worked in a bakery....” he says.

“Yes,” Derek says.

“Why? Aren’t you like rich?” Stiles asks.

“I was sixteen, Laura was seventeen; we weren’t allowed to touch the money from the inheritance yet. We had to make money somehow, and the lady who ran it didn’t ask too many questions,” Derek answers.

“Did you like it?” It’s strange, Stiles has always been curious but he never bothered to find out what Derek’s life was like before coming here. Sure, he’s tried to find out stuff about the fire, but he hardly ever asked personal questions. Even in these last few months, he’s barely taken the time to get to know Derek.

“I did,” Derek answers, a soft smile on his face. “I met my best friend there, she worked out front. She’s come into the kitchen whenever the customers were being particularly rude or annoying. That bakery was our home, all the way through college. I actually bought it for her as a wedding gift.”

“Wait, you bought someone a bakery?!” Stiles had thought the iPhones were over the top, but an entire bakery? Just how much money did Derek have?

“Well, sort of. It’s in my name, but she runs it. The lady who used to own it retired, and neither of us could stand to watch the company disappear.” By now there’s an actual, full on smile on Derek’s face.

“You miss it, don’t you?” Stiles asks. It’s amazing to see Derek like this. He’s so used to the stoic werewolf, that Stiles almost forgot that Derek can be kind and fun at times.

Derek nods. “But I was never one for living in such a big city. Beacon Hills is where I belong.”

“So, I don’t have to worry about you demanding we move to New York?” Stiles asks.

“No. This is home,” Derek says as he places the pie in the oven. “I would love to show you New York some day, though.”

“Cool! I’ve always wanted to go.”

“Maybe we can take a trip this summer?” Derek suggests.

“I should probably work this summer, save up for college and stuff… I mean, I’m only going to go to community college, but that still costs money,” Stiles says, a little disappointed. He really wants to go with Derek, but he also needs the money for food.

“Are you joking? Stiles, you’re marrying me, heir to the Hale fortune. Remember?”

“Oh…” Stiles blushes, for a moment he’d completely forgotten. He’d spent all year planning for college and trying to find a job, and now he can forget about that because he’s going to have a husband to support him.

“So, New York?” Derek asks.

“Yeah. That’s better than filing paperwork for my dad or serving coffee,” Stiles answers.

“I’d hope so.”

A silence falls over them again, but this time Stiles isn’t itching to ask more questions. He needs a moment to take in all this information. He’s a little surprised at how he never considered that Derek had a life before all this. Derek has friends and hobbies. It shouldn’t surprise Stiles, but it does. Derek is actually a person, and Stiles quite likes discovering what kind of person Derek is.

He watches as Derek cooks, and occasionally he’s asked to taste something. Derek asks about his plans for next year, and Stiles talks about the local community college he’s been accepted to. He talks about the classes they offer, and the teachers he’s hoping to get. He tells Derek about how Scott got in as well, and how they’re both going to make the most of their time there.

Time passes quickly, and before long the sun has set.

“I should probably go home,” Stiles says. “Big day tomorrow…” Even though he’s still nervous, he’s feeling a lot calmer now than he did earlier. He knows he can do this. He can be Derek’s husband and still live his life.

Derek nods. “Yes, you need your beauty sleep.”

Stiles resists the urge to flip Derek the bird. “Whatever you say, old man. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’ll be the handsome one in the tux,” Derek replies.


End file.
